Improvement in rotary plows



E, BLEECKER.

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, Wbzesses.

THE GRAPHIC CO. FHDYOLITHJSH( 44 PARK PLACEIN.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM E. BLEEOKER, OF BROOKLYN, ASSIGN OR OF PART HIS INTEREST TO HENRY BLEEOKER, TRUSTEE, OF NEW YORK CITY, GEORGE M. BLEEOKER, OF OOEYMANS, AND EDWARD BLEEOKER, TRUSTEE, OF WHITESTONE, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN ROTARY PLOWS.l

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 154,168, dated August 18, 1874; application led April 11, 1873.

- To all whom it may concern ings forming part o1' this specification, in

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E.BLEECKER, which of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State Figure l is a side elevation of a plowingof New York, have invented Improvements Wheel with the cover removed; also showing in Rotary Plows, of which the following is a the frame and seed sower in section. Fig. 2 specification: is a plan of my improved plowing-machine, My invention consists in placing all the with halfthewheels and seed-sower in section, l wheels on one axle, and the cams which oper- Showing their construction. Fig. 3 is a deate the plowing-forks being secured by means tached front view of one of the two bladed 0f keys to the axle, so that by turning the forks; and Fig. 4 is a side view of the same. axle partly round the forks are thrown out As all parts of the machine are alike on from the upper sides of the wheels, leaving both sides of the center disk, excepting they the under side of the wheels with the forks are made right and left, it will only be necesclosed, enabling the machine to be turned sary to describe one-half. and transported on the plowing-wheels, there- In Constructing the machine the centerby doing away with the outside travelingpiece or disk a is first put on the axle b. The wheels and levers'for operating the same, as SInall journals 0f the forks 0 0 are placed in used in my rotary plow, patented July 16, holes in the disk a. The Wheel d is then put 1872. Also, in pivoting the two inside series on the axle, the other journals of the forks c. of plowing i forks to a center disk, being of a 0, with the squares c c', are passed through smaller diameter than the wheels, thereby enllOleS in the side of the wheel, and the flange abling the machine to adapt itself to inequald of the wheel d is secured to the center disk ities of the ground when hard; and attaching a by screw-bolts. The cams or tappets c e are to the disk segments in such a manner as to then put on the squares c c of the forks c c, make the periphery the same diameter as the and secured thereto by means of screws. The plowing-wheels, so as to give the machine large cam f is then `placed in the wheel and more bearing-surface when the ground is soft, Secured to the shaft by a keyand the tappets and in arranging the wheels in relation to one 6 6 come in contact with the roller f1, when another so that no two forks shall be raising the forkscc havejust passed thevertical position the earth at one time. Also, in attaching in the ground, throwing them suddenly into a springs to the frame, between which the end horizontal position, thereby breaking up the of the tongue lies, so that any lateral motion, Soil, and then closing the forks up within the imparted to the tongue by uneven movements periphery of the wheel. The part of the cam of the horses or other causes, shall not cause f2 operates the pins or rollers e e on the tapi any excessive strain on the forks which are pets c c, moving the forks out from within the in the ground. periphery of the wheel into such position that An adjustable attachment connects the the parts of the blades shall enter the ground seed-sower with the machine at variable disso that the holes made by them shall be of tances from it, so that the distributed seed the least possible size, thereby requiring the can be covered up by a greater or less depth minimum of power to drive them into the of the soil which is thrown up by the plowingground. The cover h is then placed on the forks. The seed sowing is accomplished, as Wheel d and secured thereto by screws. It is will be obvious, by the first transit of the also provided with holes similar to the disk a, rotary plowing-machine over the ground. into which is placed the small journals of an- But to describe my invention more particuother set of forks,cc. Another wheel,d,isthen lai-ly, I will refer to the accompanying drawplaced on the shaft and fastened to the cover h by screw-bolts. The small cams or tappets e e and large cam f are then placed within the Wheel, as before described, and a cover, h, provided with a flange of the same diameter as the wheels d d, is then secured to thewheel, thereby covering up all the mechanism by which the forks c c are operated. The axle b has bearings on the frame c', at il il, and onto the ends of the axle, projecting beyond the frame, are firmly keyed the levers j j, said levers having each two projections, j1 and jl, which fit into and are held by the catches 7c 7c pivoted at the sides of the frame i. When the projections jl jl of the levers j j are held by the catches 7c lc, then the cam, secured to the shaft or axle b, is in position to throw the forks out of and into the ground. When it is required to turn the'machine round, or transport it, all that it is necessary to do is for the driver to raise the catches 7c 7c, by means of the handle 7c', and then by backing the horses the axle turns with the wheels and draws the forks out of the ground, and the projections j2 j2 are held by the catches 7c, leaving the under side of the wheels with the forks closed within the periphery. Raising the catches 7c 7c, when the Imachine is going forward, will bring the cams into digging position. The axle also may be turned by the levers j j. l represents the drivers seat, supported on the springs l l. The pole or tongue m is secured to the frame i by the bolt a passing loosely through it and through the braces i2 i2. On the upper side of the ton gue, and embracing the bolt n, is a spring, 0, the object of which is to obviate any severe strains to which the forks may be putin encountering any obstacle in the ground, as in such a case the spring would compress and the axle, with the cams, turn round, so as not to operate the forks until the obstacle is passed. rllhe lateral motion of the tongue, caused by the uneven movements of the horses or other causes, is prevented from imparting any excessive strain to-the forks in the ground by the springs p lo, attached to the frame and pressing against the sides of the tongue. The bolt a, in such a case, would act as the fulcrurn upon which the pole moves. The disk a is enlarged to the size of the plowingwheels by the tire a', which is put on in sections and secured by screws or other suitable means, so that more bearingsurface is provided to sustain the machine on the surface of the ground when the soil is soft. 'The seedbox r extends the whole width of the machine, and is supported by the bars s s fastened to the frame i. It is provided with an opening, r', in the bottom, which is covered with the slide t, the lower end of the slide being serrated, so that the quantity of seed allowed to fall from the box may be perfectly controlled. The slide is opened and shut by the handle or lever t', which operates bellcrank levers attached to the box and to the slide, the said handle, t extending upward so as to be within the reach of the driver. ,The seed, in leaving the box r, falls upon the sieve u, which is fastened to the box by means of the springs a u, so that it vibrates readily when the machine is working and scatters the seed over the whole of the ground dug or plowed up'by the forks. The box r is fastened to the bars s s by screws or bolts passing through slots in flanges on either end, and is adjustable to or from the rear of the machine, so that the seed is covered by the requisite. quantity of earth as it falls on the ground.

The teeth, as shown in the drawings, are of iron. Steel teeth, being thinner,will not, when shut up within the peripheries of the wheels, be quite so near each other.

I' claim- 1. The wheels l d carrying the plowingforks c c, in combination with levers j j and catches 7c 7c, the Whole constructed and operating substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

2. The wheels ol d, arranged as described, in combination with the center disk a, as and for the purposes described. l

3. The springs p p in combination with the frame i', tongue m, and wheels d cl, carrying plowingforks c c, substantially as hereinbe- 'ore lset forth.

WILLlAM E. BLEEGKER.

Witnesses:

J oHN H. TrLLMAN, Ro. H. GALLAHER. 

